Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya
Consumption of part of own-produced food is regarded as a sustainable approach to attaining dietary diversity and a pathway to improved food and nutrition security. However, empirical evidence on the relationship between production diversity and dietary diversity is inconclusive, with some studies d...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1512272/full |
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| author | Billy Okemer Ipara David Jakinda Otieno Willis Oluoch-Kosura Angela Adhiambo Andago Magnus Jirström Heather Mackay Fredrik Fernqvist Elisabeth Rajala |
| author_facet | Billy Okemer Ipara David Jakinda Otieno Willis Oluoch-Kosura Angela Adhiambo Andago Magnus Jirström Heather Mackay Fredrik Fernqvist Elisabeth Rajala |
| author_sort | Billy Okemer Ipara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Consumption of part of own-produced food is regarded as a sustainable approach to attaining dietary diversity and a pathway to improved food and nutrition security. However, empirical evidence on the relationship between production diversity and dietary diversity is inconclusive, with some studies demonstrating a positive relationship while others reveal conflicting results. Furthermore, this relationship has not been examined in pastoral contexts. We used data from 502 pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya, to assess the relationship between production indicators and household dietary diversity. Our results show that households with more diverse production had more diverse diets. Additionally, we find that nutritional awareness, engagement in off-farm enterprises, income, market participation, and location based on agro-ecological characteristics influence dietary diversity. Our findings suggest that more diverse crop-livestock systems appropriate to the agro-ecological conditions of West Pokot may be a strategy toward addressing the nutritional inadequacies experienced in the region. Further investigation of the wider implications of such a transition is suggested. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-91fbf2cb0f0c4155948e99e46b056809 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-91fbf2cb0f0c4155948e99e46b0568092025-08-20T02:04:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-02-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.15122721512272Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, KenyaBilly Okemer Ipara0David Jakinda Otieno1Willis Oluoch-Kosura2Angela Adhiambo Andago3Magnus Jirström4Heather Mackay5Fredrik Fernqvist6Elisabeth Rajala7Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Agricultural Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology; Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaDepartment of Human Geography, Lund University, Sölvegatan, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Human Geography, Lund University, Sölvegatan, Lund, SwedenDepartment of People and Society, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Lomma, SwedenDepartment of Animal Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, SwedenConsumption of part of own-produced food is regarded as a sustainable approach to attaining dietary diversity and a pathway to improved food and nutrition security. However, empirical evidence on the relationship between production diversity and dietary diversity is inconclusive, with some studies demonstrating a positive relationship while others reveal conflicting results. Furthermore, this relationship has not been examined in pastoral contexts. We used data from 502 pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya, to assess the relationship between production indicators and household dietary diversity. Our results show that households with more diverse production had more diverse diets. Additionally, we find that nutritional awareness, engagement in off-farm enterprises, income, market participation, and location based on agro-ecological characteristics influence dietary diversity. Our findings suggest that more diverse crop-livestock systems appropriate to the agro-ecological conditions of West Pokot may be a strategy toward addressing the nutritional inadequacies experienced in the region. Further investigation of the wider implications of such a transition is suggested.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1512272/fulldietary diversitypastoral and agro-pastoral householdsproduction diversityPoisson regressionWest PokotKenya |
| spellingShingle | Billy Okemer Ipara David Jakinda Otieno Willis Oluoch-Kosura Angela Adhiambo Andago Magnus Jirström Heather Mackay Fredrik Fernqvist Elisabeth Rajala Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems dietary diversity pastoral and agro-pastoral households production diversity Poisson regression West Pokot Kenya |
| title | Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya |
| title_full | Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya |
| title_short | Does production diversity support dietary diversity? Evidence from pastoral and agro-pastoral households in West Pokot County, Kenya |
| title_sort | does production diversity support dietary diversity evidence from pastoral and agro pastoral households in west pokot county kenya |
| topic | dietary diversity pastoral and agro-pastoral households production diversity Poisson regression West Pokot Kenya |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1512272/full |
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